Gang member convicted in Carlsbad shooting

VISTA  A Vista Superior Court jury on Friday convicted a suspected gang member of shooting three people in Carlsbad in October 2011.

Luciano Velasquez, 24, was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder. The jury also found the Oceanside man committed the crime as part of a gang.

He faces about 88 years to life when he is sentenced Feb. 1.

The shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 10, 2011, on Madison Street, about a block away from Chase Field.

Witnesses told Carlsbad police that the victims had been walking though a neighborhood known as the Barrio when a blue sedan pulled up alongside of them. Authorities said Velasquez got out of a passenger seat and opened fire on a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man.

All three were hit by gunfire, but none of their wounds was life-threatening. None of the victims had gang ties.

The shooter and his companions drove off. Police arrested Velasquez in Oceanside eight days later.

His criminal record includes prison sentences for drugs and for making a weapon while incarcerated.